The nation's Indigenous community is mourning the sudden death of former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander commissioner Rick Griffiths.
The former eastern zone ATSIC commissioner died on 13 December.
He was heavily involved in land rights for three decades and spent recent years as the chief executive of a local Aboriginal land council in the Hunter Valley.
Bev Manton, chairwoman of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, says Mr Griffiths will be missed by many.
"It's a great loss for the Aboriginal movement in Australia," she said.
"Rick was a great fighter for the rights of Aboriginal people and a real activist and a warrior and we're certainly going to miss him.
"He was just a staunch advocate for the equality for Aboriginal people."